Manufacturing pulp articles



Jan. 17, 1950 CHAPUN 2,494,743

MANUFACTURING PULP ARTICLES Filed April 30, 1942 41722 21 E SMOOTH/N6 0/55 I LI J3 L/LJ THHNSF'ERD/E V *fl f a IE /v.

. //i@ g l? PULP F/IV/JH/NC HAI/1' FORM/N6 PRINT/N6 HOLD/N6 DIES P/iv vr/Nc 0R COHT/NG DIES INVENTOR. REMOVE MERLE J. C'H/FPL/N TACK HTTORNEY 'finished article, or to print some special Patented Jan. 17, 1950 2,494,143 MANUFACTURING PULP ARTICLES Merle P. Chaplin, South Portland, Maine, assignor to Chaplin Corporation, Portland, Maine, a cor,-

poration of Maine Application ApriL30, 1942, Serial No. 441,100

r 1 This invention relates to manufacturing pulp articles.

In the making of certain moulded pulp articles,

it is desirable to not only mould them from the wood or other pulp mixtures, but also to finish one or both sides of the article with either a smooth finish, or one of some special pattern. The finishing of articles of this kind makes it also desirable to dry them by removing by heat the water or other liquid left in the article after it has been moulded from the liquid pulp mixture. It is further desirable in many instances to add a surface coating or color to the dry and pattern or design on it. v

In order to accomplish these several objects and operations it is necessary that they be done automatically by passing the article thru the several operations on a single machine, as shown in the drawings which form a part of this specification.

A particular example of a moulded pulp article which requires the several operations and treatment outlined above are moulded pulp bottle caps or hoods. These articles should be smooth and attractive on the outside or top and the top may also be printed in one or more colors.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of a machine which is made according'to and embodies my invention; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view also diagrammatic of the machine shown in Fig. 1.

In the machine shown in the drawings, the articles are moulded or formed on a plurality of dies on a cylindrical drum I to which a vacuum may be applied as described in my patent No. 1,845,830 issued February 16, 1932, A transfer die 2 takes the article from the forming dies and transfers it to the drying dies 3. These drying dies 3 then compress the article between or against the finishing dies 4, which serve to smooth the surface of the article, or to impart to it some design. Heat is applied to the drying dies 3 which are perforated. and the water of evaporation is drawn thru the dies and away from the article.

The dies 3 and 4 compress the article between them for a suflicient length of time to completely dry the water from the article, and if necessary or desirable, the finishing die 4 may also be heated. After the articles have been dried, they are removed from the drying dies by a transfer die similar in operation to that used to transfer 4 Claims. (Cl. 92-56) the article from the forming die to the drying :die.

The articles are then held on the printing holding dies 5 which move under printing or coating dies 6. As many printing or coating positions as are necessary can be provided. After being printed or coated or both, the articles are re- -moved from the printing holding dies 5 by a transfer die similar in operation to that used either to transfer the article from lto 3or from It will be observed that the motions of the several dies are step by step, each set of dies being at rest when an article is being transferred to it or from it. It will also be observed that the transfer dies have two motions, one a reciprocating motion between the two dies and the other an up and down motion something greater drying dies have a vertical reciprocating move-, ment to provide for delivering the articles to the drying smoothing dies, and an upward movement to compress the articles between the drying and smoothing dies.

If desirable, more than one deposit of pulp or other material can be made on the forming I dies I. This can be done either by providing two or more pulp tanks 1 or by adding a coating on the article while it is on the forming die, and

during its travel from the pulp tank I to the, position of transfer.

The article on the trans fer die can also "be smoothed on itsexposed surface at say the horizontal position of the die, or halfway between its travel from forming to transfer.

Suitable mechanism is provided for driving the variousparts of the machine in desired synchronism. These mechanisms are not shown as they are well known in the art. For example, the movement of thedrying dies 3 into and out of compressing relation with respect to the smoothing or finishing dies 4, as they collectively rotate about thevertical shaft which supports the latter dies, may be accomplished or controlled by the fixed cam track shown in section below out this operation. That patent shows, in Figure $1 cam l6 ha ving therein a groove or cam track {6a in which ride the cam followers 40 connected to the stems of the several molds H and bodily rotation of these molds about the central shaft i3 causes the molds to be vertically raised and lowered in succession.

Step-by-step rotation of the smoothing and drying dies about their central shaft may be accomplished by rotating this shaft by -Geneva gearing, as shown in United States Patent No. 827,765, issued August 7, 1906, to G. R. Ward, which illustrates a well-known construction for this purpose. In that patent the star wheel I ailixed to the central shaft is periodically rotated by a roller 5 on the constantly rotating wheel 6 for the same purpose.

The transfer dies may be periodically .vertically and laterally shifted, as herein described, by such transfer mechanism as that exemplified by United States Patent No. 1,248,381, issued Nov. 27, 1917, to F. E. Neubert. In this patent precipitated layers of pulp formed on the molds 2 are couched in the die casings and then moved laterally with the carrier I6 of that patent to transfer the formed pulp articles to another part of the machine and then lower them. This pat- I ent thus discloses suitable mechanism old in the art for raising and lowering th formed articles vertically and transferring them laterally.

Many other novel and useful operations may be performed, and the article may receive other treatments while passing thru the machine asit may be automatically transferred as many times as may be necessary by the same device already described. Other novel features may be made within the spirit and scope of this invention and I intend no limitations other than those set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. The herein described method of forming molded pulp articles which comprises suction forming an article in one position, inverting the formed article and bringing it into a substantially horizontal position of rest, raising the article vertically, moving the article laterally while maintaining it in its inverted horizontal position into axial alinement with a temporarily stationary drying die, then lowering the article vertically toward the drying die and depositing the article onto the drying die. h

2. The herein described method of forming molded pulp articles which comprises suction forming an article in one position, inverting the formed article and bringingit into a substantially horizontal position of rest, raising the article I 4 vertically, moving the maintaining it in its inverted horizontal position into a space between a pair of horizontal drying dies permanently alined axially, and themlowering the article toward one of the drying diesand depositing the article thereon.

3. The herein described method of forming molded pulp articles which comprises suction forming an article in one position, inverting the formed article and bringing it into a substantially horizontal position of rest, raising the article vertically, moving the article laterally while maintaining it in its inverted horizontal position into axial alinement with a temporarily stationary drying die, lowering the article vertically toward the drying die and depositing the article onto the drying die, and thereafter compressing the article on the drying die.

4. The herein described method of forming molded pulp articles which comprises suction forming an article in one position, inverting the formed article'and bringing it into a substantially horizontal position of rest, raising the article vertically, moving the article laterally while maintaining it in its inverted horizontal position into a space between a pair of horizontal drying dies permanently alined axially, while said drying dies are temporarily separated, then lowering the article toward one of the. drying dies and depositing the article thereon, and thereafter bringing the drying dies together to compress and dry the articl between them.

MERLE P. CHAPLIN.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date a Re. 19,856 Chapman Feb. 18, 1936 827,765 Ward Aug. 7, 1906 1,248,381 Neubert Nov. 27, 1917 1,377,342 Harbrecht May 10, 1921 1,621,147 Winnertz Mar. 15, 1927 1,788,944 Chaplin Jan. 13, 1931 1,845,830 Chaplin Feb. 16, 1932 2,163,585 Chaplin June 27, 1939 2,183,869 Randall et al Dec. 19, 1939 2,203,343 Stack T June 4, 1940 2,234,979 Randall et a1 Mar. 18, 1941 2,257,573 Randall Sept. 30, 1941 2,380,942 Chaplin Aug. '7, 1945 article laterally while 

